No. GC 002/07
For release February 13, 2007
TORONTO - The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance and Minister
Responsible for the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), on behalf of the Honourable
Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, today
announced that Canada's New Government will invest up to $10 million over four
years in the ecoMobility program. This investment will help Canadians better
protect their health and environment by giving them more transportation choices.
"Traffic congestion in the GTA is getting progressively worse, resulting in
longer commute times and deteriorating air quality," said Minister Flaherty. "We
must educate people and encourage them to carpool, take the bus or ride a bike.
This will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and allow people to breathe a little
easier."
"We are committed to working with the provinces, territories, and
municipalities to improve transportation and access to and from urban areas,"
said Minister Cannon. "Today's announcement demonstrates our government's
commitment to work with cities to invest in ways to protect the health of
Canadians and the environment. The ecoMobility program will help Canadians make
more environmentally friendly transportation choices."
With up to $10 million in available funding, the ecoMobility program will reduce urban passenger
transportation emissions by encouraging increased transit ridership and the use
of other sustainable transportation options.
"Transportation is one of the largest sources of air pollution and greenhouse
gases in Canada," said the Honourable John Baird, Minister of the Environment.
"Canada's New Government is taking action to deliver real reductions in air
pollutants, greenhouse gas emissions and harmful substances in our communities."
The ecoMobility initiative will help cities develop policies, programs, and
services that encourage people to leave their cars at home and choose more
environmentally friendly options, such as the bus or car-pooling. Through
support for collaborative research, development of professional resources,
implementation of cost-shared pilot projects and dissemination of information,
the program will lead to increased environmental benefits from new transit
infrastructure investments.
For example, in the GTA, the Smart Commute Initiative has launched the
Carpool Zone ride-matching service, which is being used by commuters across the
region to form carpools. The involvement of the business community is also
important. The Markham Board of Trade and the Richmond Hill Chamber of Commerce
have created the SmartCommute 404-7 Transportation Management Association. The
association works with employers in York Region to introduce carpools, van
shuttle services, and to market transit passes.
In addition, in Budget 2006, Canada's New Government committed to maintain
the transfer of $5 billion in gas tax funds over five years to Canadian
municipalities to support environmentally sustainable municipal infrastructure,
specifically for water treatment, wastewater, local road systems and public
transit.
These initiatives support the Government of Canada's ecoTransport Strategy,
which is aimed at improving the health of Canadians and the environment by
reducing the environmental impacts of transportation; securing Canada's future
prosperity and competitiveness by making critical transportation infrastructure
sustainable both economically and environmentally; and promoting an efficient
transportation system that supports choice and the high quality of life that
Canadians expect.
Prime Minister Harper recently announced the Canada ecoTrust for Clean Air
and Climate Change, which will be designed to provide financial support to
provincial and territorial projects aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions
and air pollutants. The resources for this initiative will consist of $1.5 billion of new funding on a national basis.
This new funding will be contained in the upcoming 2006-07 budget and is a
part of the actions to be taken on the fiscal imbalance. It will be available as
soon as Parliament approves the budget.
A backgrounder and a fact sheet on the ecoMobility program are attached.
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Contacts:
Natalie Sarafian
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Transport,
Infrastructure and Communities
613-991-0700
Dan Miles
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Finance and
Minister responsible for the GTA,
Ottawa
613-996-7861
Robin Browne
Communications
Transport Canada, Ottawa
613-993-0055
Eric Richer
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment, Gatineau
819-997-1441
Environment Canada
Media Relations
819-934-8008 / 1-888-908-8008
Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to news releases and speeches at apps.tc.gc.ca/listserv/ and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport Canada.
This news release may be made available in alternative formats for persons with visual disabilities.
Backgrounder
ECOMOBILITY -- HELPING CANADIANS MAKE THE RIGHT TRANSPORTATION
CHOICES FOR A CLEAN, HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT
Every day, Canadians commute to work, to school and to other
destinations. While commuting is a necessity for most, it also increases the
greenhouse gases and air pollution that affect our environment and the health of
all Canadians.
As part of its environmental agenda, the Government of Canada is helping reduce
emissions by working with cities to help Canadians make cleaner transportation
choices part of their daily commute.
The Government of Canada's new ecoMobility program seeks to cut urban-passenger
transportation emissions by encouraging commuters to choose public transit or
other sustainable transportation options like car-pooling. Working with cities
and municipalities across Canada, this initiative will help develop programs,
services and products to improve transportation choices and quality of life for
Canadians in urban areas across the country.
The ecoMobility program builds on the major infrastructure investments that the
Government of Canada announced in the 2006 federal budget, and other measures,
such as regulating the fuel consumption of new vehicles sold in Canada,
announced in the fall. These measures are part of the Government of Canada's
ambitious and realistic agenda to protect the health of Canadians and the
environment in Canada. They also demonstrate that Canada's New Government
understands the importance of addressing climate change.
Want to know more about the Government of Canada's environmental agenda and the
ecoMobility program? Visit us online at www.tc.gc.ca/ecoTransport.
February 2007
FACT SHEET
ECOMOBILITY
Every day, Canadians commute to work, to school and other destinations. While
commuting is a necessity for most, it also increases the greenhouse gases and
air pollution that affect our environment and the health of all Canadians.
As part of its environmental agenda, Canada's New Government is helping reduce
emissions by working with cities and regional authorities to help Canadians make
cleaner transportation choices part of their daily commute.
Working with cities and municipalities across Canada, this initiative will
improve transportation choices and quality of life for Canadians in urban areas
across the country.
While respecting provincial and territorial jurisdictions and planning
priorities, the government is committed to finding ways to work together more
effectively to improve transportation and mobility for Canadians in urban areas.
With up to $10 million in available funding, the ecoMobility program will help reduce urban passenger
transportation emissions by encouraging increased transit ridership and the use
of other sustainable transportation options.
Examples of the measures that the ecoMobility program will encourage include:
policies such as land use guidelines that complement increased use of
sustainable transportation options (e.g. development approval policies that
mandate access to transit services);
programs to raise awareness and motivate changes in personal travel choices
(e.g. workplace-based commuter options programs that engage staff and market new
incentives to reduce single occupancy vehicle trips to and from work);
services that offer individuals a tangible benefit or disbenefit related to
the use of particular travel modes (e.g. guaranteed-ride home programs for
car-pool members or reduced parking rates for car-pool vehicles); and
products that make sustainable transportation more convenient (e.g. enhanced
transit information services or online ridematching systems for workplaces).
Transportation is a key element of the government's environmental agenda.
Keeping people and goods moving is vital to a healthy economy and is critical to
Canada's prosperity. A more sustainable transportation system will result in
safety, social and economic benefits for all Canadians.
For more information about the Government of Canada's environmental agenda and
the ecoMobility program, go to www.tc.gc.ca/ecoTransport.
February 2007
